Dozens of illegal-gun suspects arrested in BSO operation

FORT LAUDERDALE — — Criminals getting their hands on guns after being freed from jail is a recurring threat to public safety, authorities say.

Two weeks ago, when authorities used a search warrant to scour a Pompano Beach residence, they arrested two men with criminal histories on illegal gun possession charges, they said.

Tony Velez, 18, freed on bond in two felony cases, allegedly had a stolen .45-caliber Glock, and his relative, Harry Velez, 47, a convicted felon, illegally had a Maverick shotgun, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Tony and Harry Velez were among 31 suspects recently taken into custody in South Florida during Operation Bullseye II — a multi-agency operation aimed at nabbing armed suspects and seizing their weapons, the Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

Of those apprehended, 12 were fugitives, 14 were arrested on felony charges and five faced misdemeanor charges, the Sheriff's Office said. In all, 30 firearms — including short-barrel shotguns, a USP tactical pistol and a Sig Sauer P220 pistol — were seized.

"We're taking these guns and the convicted felons who possess them off the street," Sheriff Al Lamberti said at a news conference. "If they were in possession of them, who knows what danger they could have been to you, me or our families?"

Assisting the Sheriff's Office with the operation were Miami-Dade police's gun squad and theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was the second such operation conducted by the Sheriff's Office, Lamberti said. Last year's effort, Operation Bullseye I, yielded the seizure of 28 firearms and 25 arrests, he said.

Most of the region's crimes are committed by career criminals and convicted felons, so focusing on them is a priority for law enforcement, the sheriff said. "What makes the streets and the community safer is going after those people," he said.

Before Tony Velez's home was searched last month, he had gotten into previous legal trouble over a firearm, Lamberti said.

In 2010, he was charged with accessory to the fact after sheriff's gun squad detectives found him in possession of a firearm thought to have been used to kill a homeless man in Pompano Beach, Lamberti said.

Velez's brother, then 17, had been charged in the 2009 killing, but state records show the case was dismissed.

Operation Bullseye II also led to the arrest of Joseph McFadden, 35, of Fort Lauderdale, a 10-time convicted felon accused of having drugs and a loaded firearm at his home, Lamberti said.

Also nabbed was Rodly Francois, 29, a convicted felon who authorities say became a fugitive after the sheriff's gun squad caught him trying to sell a shotgun while on probation, officials said. He was arrested last month, when he was found "hiding out" at a Tamarac apartment, Lamberti said.